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ENC 1102 (O'Brien Grogan): Databases

This guide is designed to help students with library research assignments in Professor O'Brien Grogan's Comp II classes.

Searching the Library Databases

Searching the library databases is very different than searching Google. To see an example of how to search a database, view the video below. The database highlighted in the video is called Academic Search Complete. It shows how to search using keywords as well as contains information on citing databases in MLA format.

Accessing Databases

Accessing the databases at Valencia College Libraries:

1) Log into your Atlas account and click the "Search the Library" link on the left side of the screen or in the upper right corner of the "My Courses" tab. When the Library Catalog page opens, you will already be logged in.

 

*** NOTE *** Sometimes you may be prompted to use your Borrower ID and PIN to access an article that has been emailed or posted. Use your VID Valencia Identification number (with the V) as the Borrower ID. Your PIN is the last four digits of your VID number.

Helpful Search Tips

  • injur* will retrieve resources with any words beginning "injur" such as injury, injuries, injure, injured, injuring, injurious
  • "arms control" will only retrieve resources that use the phrase "arms control" with the words next to each other, instead of retrieving items which talk about both arms and control but possibly in different sentences, different paragraphs and even in a different context.
  • Football NOT Soccer will retrieve resources about Football but not Soccer.

Literature Databases

eLEARNING & RESEARCH | Ivpl

Gale Literature contains full-text literary works, journal articles, literature criticism and analysis, reviews, author biographies, bibliographies, multimedia, and a rich collection of scholarly overviews. 

Literary Reference Center Plus contains literary overviews, criticism, themes, plots, and characters. It also contains biographies, reviews, interviews, short stories, and novels.

 

Gale eBooks contain access to the specialized reference called Short Stories for Students. This reference discusses information on author biography, themes, plot summary, characters, historical context, criticism, and style for many popular short stories. 

 

Bloom's Literature | Kansas State Library, KS - Official Website

Bloom's Literature provides overviews, synopses, analyses, and literary criticism of thousands of works.

General Databases

Academic Search Complete is a multi-disciplinary database with access to articles from many different disciplines such as Literature, Health, Science, Business, and more.

 

Academic OneFile contains peer-reviewed, full-text articles from leading journals and reference sources and includes coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, and, other subjects.

Subject Specific Databases

PsycArticles is a great place to find studies conducted about various aspects of family life, personality, and mental health.

 

Global Issues in Context offers global perspectives on issues of international importance and current world events and topics in the news related to these issues. Global Issues in Context ties together a variety of sources to present a rich analysis of issues and headlines in world hot spots.